In a new study, researchers found that our metabolism is surprisingly good at coping with the over-indulgence of calories.
The study involved participants eating pizza well after feeling ‘full’ in order to test what immediate effects this had on the body.
The research was conducted by a team at the University of Bath.
Scientists know the long-term risks of over-indulgence with food when it comes to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
But they know much less about some of the immediate effects ‘all you can eat’ places on the body.
In the study, the average calorie intake in the all-you-can-eat trial was over 3000 kcal, roughly one and half large pizzas.
This is well beyond standard adult guidelines for calorie intake in one day (let alone one meal) – and is even more calories than US Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps famously reported eating for breakfast.
The team compared the effects of normal eating (i.e. ‘eat until you are comfortably full’) with maximal eating (i.e. ‘eat until you cannot manage another bite’).
They found that the young, healthy men (aged 22—37) consumed almost twice as much pizza when pushing beyond their usual limits, doubling their calorie intake, yet, remarkably, managed to keep the amount of nutrients in the bloodstream within the normal range.
After eating maximally: Blood sugar (glucose) levels were no higher than after a normal meal.
The amount of insulin in the blood was 50% higher than normal (this hormone is released by the body to control blood sugar levels).
Blood lipids (triglycerides and non-esterified fatty acids) were only slightly higher despite having consumed over twice as much fat.
The findings showed that the body actually copes remarkably well when faced with a massive and sudden calorie excess. Healthy humans can eat twice as much as ‘full’ and deal effectively with this huge initial energy surplus.
This study shows that if an otherwise healthy person overindulges occasionally there are no immediate, negative consequences in terms of losing metabolic control.
However, the researchers caution of the risks of prolonged over-eating.
They say the main problem with overeating is that it adds more stored energy to the bodies (in the form of fat), which can culminate in obesity if people overeat day after day.
The researchers acknowledge that their study involved healthy young men, so they plan to study whether similar effects are apparent in women and for overweight and older populations.
One author of the study is Aaron Hengist.
The study is published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
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